'Harry Potter' Director David Yates in Talks for 'Scarface' Remake

Since his final outing at Hogwarts with the two parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, director David Yates has been attached to numerous projects, including a new version of Stephen King's The Stand and a reimagining of Tarzan, which Warner Bros. recently put on hold for budget reasons. He even was rumored to be involved with an attempt to bring Doctor Who to the big screen. Now Deadline reports that he's in "final talks" to direct Universal's next Scarface remake.

Of course, the project is being called a "reboot" rather than a "remake" or "sequel," but whatever, it's nevertheless a modern redo of the classic 1932 Howard Hawks film, which was previously redone as the classic 1983 Brian De Palma film of the same name. Not much is known yet about the circumstances or updated focus for the titular climber up the crime-circuit ladder. It's hard not to now wish for a Scarface set amidst the world of wizardry, with dark magic being the substitute for bootlegging and cocaine dealing. Obviously that will not be the case. Rumor is the story will deal with a Mexican drug cartel.

Reportedly, the studio has finally settled on a draft of the script it likes and they're out to hire the director before moving on to casting. Certainly choosing the star will be the hardest part, especially if Universal wants a performance as iconic as those of both Paul Muni and Al Pacino. One thing's for sure, if Yates is at the helm, strong acting will be a sure thing. Just look at his work with the cast in his four Harry Potter films as well as the cable movie The Girl in the Cafe.

If Yates does indeed helm Scarface, it will be interesting to see if he remains attached to Cicero, a movie about real-life "Scarface" Al Capone starring Tom Hardy as the infamous gangster. We're going to guess not, even though he worked on a draft of the screenplay. Then again, De Palma went on from Scarface to depict Capone in The Untouchables, so it could be a perfect career mimicry. Maybe Yates can even do the Wise Guys sequel we've always wanted in between.

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